Kerala Chief Minister V. D. Satheesan has sought a comprehensive safety audit of the National Highway 66 corridor following a crash in Thrissur district that killed eight engineering students. In a letter to Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari he requested strict measures to prevent unauthorised and unsafe parking of construction and other heavy vehicles along stretches of NH 66 where work is under way and urged the National Highways Authority of India to carry out an immediate independent safety review.

Satheesan noted that during the construction phase thousands of people travel daily through temporary diversions, narrow carriageways, unfinished stretches and construction zones and that the highest standards of traffic management and road safety are essential. He asked officials to assess whether contractors and concessionaires are complying with NHAI safety guidelines and traffic management plans and to review the effectiveness of supervision and monitoring.

He said the fatal incident in Thrissur should prompt a comprehensive review of safety arrangements along the entire NH 66 corridor in Kerala and called for a detailed investigation into the circumstances that led to the crash. The time bound safety review should examine the adequacy of temporary traffic diversions, road lighting, warning signs, reflective markings, barricades, delineators, crash barriers and other safety measures, particularly at points where traffic is diverted from the original carriageway.

The traffic incident occurred late on the night of the fourth of September when the car carrying the students collided with the rear of a Maharashtra registered goods lorry parked at Panambikunnu on NH 66 in Thrissur district. All victims were students from PSNA College of Engineering and Technology in Dindigul who had been returning from Guruvayur to Kodungallur after a leisure trip. The accident sparked widespread outrage in the state and renewed demands for immediate and enforceable safety measures on national highways.